megaphone
/ˈmɛɡəˌfoʊn/noun, verb
megaphone is spelled M-E-G-A-P-H-O-N-E: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,943rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, megaphone means “A portable, usually hand-held, funnel-shaped device that is used to amplify a person’s natural voice toward a targeted direction” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of megaphone is megaphones.
How many letters and syllables are in megaphone?
| Letters | 9: M-E-G-A-P-H-O-N-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 37,943rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is megaphone?
Megaphone appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,943rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce megaphone?
- UK /ˈmɛɡ.əˌfəʊn/
- US /ˈmɛɡəˌfoʊn/
Megaphone has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-megaphone.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of megaphone
- megaphones plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- megaphoning participle, present
- megaphoned participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does megaphone mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A portable, usually hand-held, funnel-shaped device that is used to amplify a person’s natural voice toward a targeted direction.
- 2
Mouthpiece or promoter; one who speaks for or publicizes on behalf of another.
- 3
A cytotoxic neolignan obtained from the laurel Aniba megaphylla.
verb
- 1
To use a megaphone; to speak through a megaphone.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Megaphone in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense portable device used to amplify a person's voice:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | porte-voix, portevoix, mégaphone |
| German | Megafon, Sprachrohr, Sprechtrichter, Flüstertüte |
| Portuguese | megafone |
| Spanish | megáfono |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does megaphone come from?
From mega- + -phone.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).